Kansas State Univ. Debuts Sports Website Featuring HD Content

Kansas State Univ. yesterday launched K-StateHD.tv, which will “exclusively feature in high-def some of the school’s athletic contests” available to fans for approximately $10 a month or $80 a year, according to CABLEFAX DAILY. The website is “part of a growing trend in college athletics” where cable operators and networks, conferences and universities “see multiplatform content as an imperative way to drive loyalty and add to their financial playbooks.” LBH Sports Entertainment & Media President & CEO Lee Berke said, “This is a burgeoning space in college athletics. There are an increasing number of flavors popping up, the interest is there, the fan base is there, and distributors are looking for brand-name content.” While it is “too early to determine usage trends for many of these initiatives, their goal, of course, is to keep passionate sports fans connected wherever they may be” (CABLEFAX DAILY, 8/31 issue). KSU student newspaper the COLLEGIAN's Sean Frye notes the decision by KSU AD John Currie and his staff “to pursue this network furthers his goal of making K-State a nationally known brand.” K-StateHD.tv is “making news with its coverage of the football team's season opener against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, marking the first time a K-State football game will be available exclusively online.” The website will “primarily feature coverage of all home volleyball matches and baseball games.” The Eastern Kentucky football game is the “only football game slated so far this year for coverage on the network.” No men's or women's basketball games are planned, "but the possibility has not been ruled out.” Frye reports “roughly $400,000 was invested into the equipment necessary to broadcast the content in HD” (Kansas State COLLEGIAN, 8/31).

TREE BRANCHES: Stanford Univ. Athletics has reached a deal with Google and YouTube that includes the launch of The Cardinal Channel, a site that will feature original video content for all 35 of the school's sports programs. The deal was brokered by Cardinal Sports LLC, the school's multimedia/marketing partner. Stanford Athletics will produce features, interviews and content such as the football-themed web series "The Program." The online channel also will telecast a live pregame show 90 minutes before each home football game emanating from the Fan Fest near Stanford Stadium (Stanford Univ.).